Capitol Theatre
310 N. Miami Avenue,
Miami,
FL
33128
310 N. Miami Avenue,
Miami,
FL
33128
1 person
favorited this theater
Wometco’s Capitol Theatre in downtown was the first house in the Wometco chain and the first link in the Caribbean chain’s theatre and leisure dynasty. Built in 1925 as a mini replica of the New York Capitol Theatre, it closed in 1952 and became a victim of television in more ways than one.
It became the home of WTVJ, the Wometco TV station, Miami’s first. The ‘Capitol’ name came back briefly in the early-1970’s when the Harlem Theatre on 14th Street was renamed, and used for a brief unsuccessful test as a blaxploitation house.
The building was demolished in 2000.
Contributed by
Al Alvarez
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Recent comments (view all 24 comments)
The original Capitol Theater building which was converted in 1946 to serve as the home of WTVJ-TV4 (the main studio was created out of the theater house and stage areas and was approx 90' x 90' x 35'h, with a single-purchase counter-weight fly system running the length of the studio) was demolished in 2000, along with other buildings on the west side of the theater containing film labs and support services, and was replaced by the US District Court building.
Mitchell Wolfson and Sidney Meyer founded the Wo-Me-T(heater)-Co(mpany) in 1925 and opened the Capitol at 310 North Miami Avenue. Headquarters for Wometco Enterprises operated at 316 North Miami for many years. I worked there for 13 months. They owned the whole city block. They had the studio where they filmed the Skipper Chuck kids' show. There was a Goodwill store on the N.W. corner. The “New World Center” of Miami-Dade College was named after Mitchell Wolfson.
We need a correction on the Overview.
The 1970’s blaxploitation revival of the Capitol was actually at the Skydome/Harlem on 14th street, and not here.
In 1971 the Wometco complex at 316 North Miami Avenue was a group of old buildings (including what had been the original theater) connected internally, with the floor at different levels, termite-infested, claustrophobic, without windows, a veritable fire trap; there was an empty lot on the 3rd Street side for parking. I don’t recall it at any time looking like that drawing, that must have been only a proposed draftsman rendition that never materialized.
Didn’t the blaxploitation revival of the Capitol refer to the one at 1645 Broadway and 51st Street in New York?? I think.
It was the Miami Harlem. The NYC was Capitol was already closed by the time blaxploitation hit Times square.
I remember the Capitol Theater being west of 95. I want to say it was off 3rd Ct. somewhere between NW 8th Street and 3rd St. Wish I could remember the exact street. The other address off 14th Street had a theater there, but I don’t think it was the original Capitol. Channel 4 was east of 95.
Featured in this 1929 trade ad: Boxoffice
Exterior pictured in this 1938 trade ad for General Electric air conditioning: Boxoffice
What that 1929 trade ad fails to mention is that tourism could add hundreds of thousands to that population number.